Thursday, 23 June 2011

It seems as each day passes we head further in to the no man's land of the transfer window, but I see there is light finally beginning to be visible from behind the huge grey clouds. We're reaching the final count down to transfer window D-Day = July 1.

This is the date which is well known to all professional footballers with some trepidation because of what lies beyond it. Either you continue to get paid or you have to pick up your P45 and look for another club or worse case scenario a new line of work. Every player's contract expires on June 30 when their deal comes to the end meaning Arsenal will start making moves to sign players around this time.

It also means that the club hasn't been force to pick up the player's wages when there isn't the budget for them. And of course once Arsenal do sign a player we've not normally been offering the peanuts Peter Odemwingie has reported to have been put off by.

And whilst I agree with Arseblog that patience is certainly needed, I do hope we get some business finalised before the squad returns for pre-season on July 5. The window of opportunity is now, not when the manager and CEO are in China and Malaysia.

However I know that both men are working hard behind the scenes to make sure that Arsenal are more competitive next season. Along with sausages and laws, players contracts are another piece of paper work you just don't want to know goes into them. They are not easy and reaching agreement can certainly be a sticking point.

And one player we've certainly reached that point with other than Samir Nasri is Gael Clichy. The Liverpool rumour has hotted up again today and Damien Comolli certainly seems eager to add the left-back to the list of players heading for Anfield this summer.

The Daily Mirror report the defender is keen on a move north west rather than to Italy, basically because of the money Liverpool are going to pay him. They say he will dig his heals in and demand to be sold to the Anfield club. Clichy was heading to Italy last summer before it was called off and I'm sure Arsene Wenger would rather sell him to a team outside the Premier League. Where he'll end up, who knows?

Last night there were rumours on Twitter that Clichy was subject to a £10million offer from PSG, but I'm unable to firm that up. PSG would be a better option if Clichy wanted European football because at least the Paris club have some unlike the scousers.

One thing is a certainty though if he does go. Arsene Wenger will need to invest in a left back and not try to promote from within. Kieran Gibbs isn't ready, Armand Traore isn't good enough defensively and Thomas Vermaelen would be both unsuitable and a waste in that position. We have to spend money and my ideal replacement would be Leighton Baines.

Whilst the chase for a central defender goes on, we've been linked with Baines' Everton teammate Phil Jagielka. We were in for him last summer but because the Merseyside club scale all their transfer business on the money Manchester City can afford to pay for Joleon Lescott, we couldn't match their fee for Jagielka.
The Daily Mail say we've rekindled our interest in him and I wonder if that's because Blackburn won't budge on Christopher Samba.

Rovers manager Steve Keen told Sky Sports that Samba had negotiated and signed a new five year deal in January - knowing Arsenal were interested in him then - making it impossible for the Gunners to meet a fee Rovers would want for him now because of the length of that contract.

Cesc Fabregas touched down in Indonesia and as well as bumping into an old friend, also sat down with the press. He was again asked about moving to Barcelona and gave the same response as he did when asked in Madrid last week. He also revealed - not for the first time - that Pep Guardiola was his idol. Again, it is a case of nothing to see here, let's move on. What do the press expect Cesc to say? He won't say he wants to leave Arsenal - exactly what they want - and I respect him for that. But then on the other hand fans are saying he's not committed. I think his contract is proof of his commitment.

Feyenoord are again interested in taking Ryo Miyaichi on loan according to The Sun.